Authentic farmhouse in Southold: North Fork Dream Home

The wistful charm of farm living is a selling point on the North Fork. Douglas Elliman listing agent Kay Lawson noted a trend among buyers in recent years who are trading in their city lifestyle for the country — but it is not just a home in a quiet town they seek.

These buyers aren’t in the market for properties that look like barns. They want the real deal. Small functional farms where chickens can be raised, crops can be harvested and horses can be kept.

“People want more space and to feel like they are living the farm life,” Lawson said. “They are not enormous farms — they are 5 or 7 or 10 acres. The North Fork has this rural feel that people really like.”

If it is authenticity you’re looking for, there is perhaps no better property on the market than this 10-acre homestead on Ackerly Pond Lane in Southold — it was once a commercial horse riding facility, after all.

The property is fit for riders. A fully equipped farm has a 100-by-200-square-foot outdoor arena and eight horse stalls located in two restored barns along with separate washing stalls. There’s also a half-mile track that winds around the property for sunset rides with vineyard views. Horses are not included in the sale.

The zoning allows for a commercial farm stand to operate on the property, Lawson said.

“That is a special element,” she said. “Also, in one of the old barns on the property, you could get permits for an office space or an apartment.”

The separate four-bedroom, three-bathroom farmhouse is every bit as bucolic as the property.

Rustic touches like hardwood floors, wood paneling, a river stone fireplace nook and a clawfoot tub exude country magnetism. The 1,800-square-foot home is not without desirable amenities that include an updated kitchen.

“The home is modernized,” Lawson said. “It was completely redone in 2002, but it is still very much a farmhouse.”